Just a matter of days after fan Ashley Mills was stabbed in an anti-Semitic attack before Tottenham's game in Rome, West Ham supporters sang "Viva Lazio", "Can we stab you every week?" and hissed on several occasions, mocking the mass execution of Jews during the Second World War. While the hissing, shamefully, is nothing news Tottenham fans were also subjected to a chant of "Adolf Hitler, he's coming for you."

Both managers were reluctant to comment on the matter afterwards as they said they were not aware of the chants, but the FA are sure to be asked to investigate the conduct of the visiting fans.

"I didn't hear it," West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said. "I don't hear what the fans say or do when I'm concentrating as a manager on a game of football.

"They shouldn't be doing things like that, it is the least of my worries at the minute isn't it? "What do you want me to say? If I didn't hear it I can't condemn it can I?

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"I will wait and look at it myself and make a comment once I have listened to what they have said. "I don't want to be a political animal, I'm here to talk about football and not what fans are saying and singing."

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said he did not want the issue to detract attention from what was Tottenham's best home performance of the season.

"I prefer not to mar the performance with a situation like this," the Spurs manager said.

"You know the animosity there is between Tottenham and West Ham and as long as it doesn't reach stupidity it is a great, great rivalry of two London clubs.

"It would be extremely unfair for me to mar the performance of the players but understanding that a couple of situations are avoidable but we can't decipher the true meaning of what they were saying."

Jonathan Liew, the Telegraph's reporter at White Hart Lane, said: "Let us be clear about this. We are not talking about a few isolated crooners here. A significant proportion of West Ham's travelling support participated. The press box at White Hart Lane is roughly 60 yards from the away end. The songs rang out loudly and clearly."